The Texas Tenors
Conductor: Thomas Wilson
Date: May 06, 2017
In another night of not precisely knowing what to expect from the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, I was pleasantly surprised. Before seeing them perform this weekend, I had never heard of the Texas Tenors before. Part of me was apprehensive for the performance, as I figured it would be a lot of well-sung country and western songs. Part of it was, but that was OK because the country just happened to be Italy. I think the more accurate assessment of this group is three tenors from Texas, since the primary focus is really on their singing, not necessarily on their southern origins.
Their repertoire is quite admirable. From Amazing Grace to Sinatra to The Phantom of the Opera to Bruno Mars, this trio of singers aren’t just great at singing; they’re also excellent at engaging with the audience. Of course, that makes sense considering they’ve had many live performances, not the least of which was a stint in Las Vegas. In fact, these little bits were probably the most entertaining things I’ve seen at the Philharmonic this year.
Regarding the orchestra’s performance, it was almost unnoticeable since it blended so well with the singers’ voices. I did find the intro piece of the theme to The Magnificent Seven (1960) to be a little misleading since there were only three tenors, but I get the sentiment of the “old west” they were trying to drum up before the performers hit the stage. It was interesting to hear them perform “Somewhere” from West Side Story (1961), almost as a preface to next season’s performance when the Philharmonic will play along with the entirety of that movie, providing the music as the action unfolds on screen. At any rate, I was pleasantly surprised with the Texas Tenors, and I’m certainly glad I attended.